How do I settle a property line dispute with a neighbor?

It can be difficult to build a good relationship with your neighbor. Some people just don’t come across as friendly or on the same wavelength as you. But, it is always worth trying as you could be living next to them for many years.

At the very least it’s important to remain cordial with your neighbor. If you fall out with them it can make life very difficult.

However, there are times when all of this goes out of the window. After all you have your own principles to live by. A good example of this is when your neighbor has decided to replace or even erect a fence and in the process they’ve taken several feet of your land.

Settling the resulting dispute may not be an easy task but it is something you have to do:

Get A Survey

Speak to Geosurvand get a survey booked. This will give you all the information you need regarding what runs under your land, house and the exact edge of your land. Yu will be able to use this survey to confirm whether your neighbor has moved the boundary line or encroached on your space.

Speak To Your Neighbor

It is essential that you take the survey and a copy of your deeds round to your neighbor’s house. You want to talk to them in a civil manner; there is no need to fall out yet.

You simply want to show your neighbors your boundary lines according to your deeds and the survey, (hopefully these two match). Don’t forget to ask if you can see his deeds too; that will allow you both to agree that a mistake has been made.

This should be enough for your neighbor to correct the issue but sadly this is not always the case.

Mediator

If you have no luck meeting directly with your neighbor then you need to involve the services of a mediator.These are people that are specially trained to deal with this type of situation.

They can calmly meet with both of you and hopefully help you to reach a mutually acceptable agreement. Depending on how generous you’re feeling this may not mean your neighbor has to move their structure.

A mediator will help you both to communicate in a civil manner.

Lawsuits

The alternative is to file a lawsuit based on the survey and your title deeds. This will show that the land belongs to you and the court has the power to order any structure be taken down or destroyed.

Of course this will not help your relationship with your neighbor but if you’re considering a lawsuit it’s probably past saving anyway.

You’ll need to bear in mind that the courts are busy and this process can take some time. You need to try to keep things civil with your neighbor while you wait. There is no point in getting yourself in trouble and potentially changing the outcome of your lawsuit.